Democracy Fund has long been enthusiastic about the value of electionline.org as a site for important news and information, which is why Democracy Fund has provided financial support for its maintenance and continuance since 2014. As the partnership with electionline.org deepened, there was space for both organizations to consider what a long-term commitment could look like. We are so pleased to share that agreement was made to bring the site within Democracy Fund as a project.

Over the next year, Democracy Fund’s Elections team will work with electionline.org editor Mindy Moretti to manage and grow the site because we believe it remains a powerful tool for sharing knowledge. We will remain committed to a strictly nonpartisan lens and transparency about the role our organization plays. We know the election administration community only has a handful of places to find curated and organized news relevant to their work. For this small group, electionline.org has been a place for the story of American elections to unfold separately from the political race and campaign rhetoric.

Since 2013, electionline.org has operated independently under the leadership of Mindy Moretti, who joined in 2005 and is the current site editor. The site is now more than 16 years old and former editor Doug Chapin says that he is “pleased that it is bigger, better, and has lasted longer than many people (including me!) expected.”

Mindy shared that “there is a story behind every vote cast. There is a story behind every new innovation or piece of equipment purchased.” She noted that while the site has benefitted from its time as an independent entity, there have been drawbacks — like delaying the creation of new features or modernizing the archives for searchability. In this way, she compares the resource constraint to that of election officials making choices about where to spend and where to save. She is glad that the site will have a home with Democracy Fund where it can thrive.

Electionline.org has its roots in some of the most compelling election moments of our country’s history, and we want it to be around for many more pivotal events and conversations. The need for a website like electionline.org was felt after the 2000 presidential election, when interested groups, academics, and practitioners recognized that there was little to no routine information about the processes, equipment, and ideas shaping elections. Without this information, there might still be no dialogue about what is a common practice or a new innovation.

Today, the site is known for giving context for key issues and elevating the voices of election administrators, many of whom are more accustomed to correcting statements about laws, rules, and regulations than sharing their perspective and work.

Doug Chapin, founding editor of electionline.org in 2001, shared that, as part of its Election Reform Information Project (ERIP), The Pew Charitable Trusts made a grant to the University of Richmond for a website with a goal of creating a common source of knowledge that gives anyone in the elections field a sense of what was happening in their area. The site would share “election administration news only, with an emphasis on state and local coverage that was comprehensive, but not overly inclusive of topics like campaign finance or redistricting.” He recalls that there was a clear effort to “inform to reform.”

Doug explained that through the site, election news was presented in three rhythms: daily news roundups, weekly newsletters, and monthly/quarterly reports. This gave readers a choice for information, so they could read what they had time for and interest in. In 2007, electionline.org became part of the Pew Charitable Trust’s Election Initiatives. Like StateLine, and other important Pew resources, electionline.org developed a reputation for spotting issues in the field before they reached many decision-makers, giving a preview of what to avoid and what new practices are possible.

Mindy will be an essential part of the next phase of electionline.org, remaining onboard as the editor, which entails waking before readers on the East Coast start their day and searching for stories to post. She will also assist with developing plans for the future. “I want electionline.org to be the first place people go to when looking for election reform news and information. We may not be your last stop online, but we hope to be your first.” She has said that continuing to watch electionline.org mature will be important to her given her long tenure with the site.

The team who started and have maintained electionline.org can be very proud of what it has become. Democracy Fund staff hope to be good stewards of the site. As the election profession continues to evolve in an ever-changing landscape, we will seek out your feedback (please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) on how the site can help you and other readers to connect with useful knowledge for better elections.

(Stacey Scholl is a Senior Program Associate for the Elections team at Democracy Fund, where she co-leads efforts to foster a voter-centric elections system by supporting election officials with tools and knowledge. Prior to joining Democracy Fund Stacey worked for the Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program, State and Local Relations team.

Tammy Patrick is a Senior Advisor with the Elections team at Democracy Fund co-leading efforts with Stacey Scholl. Prior to joining Democracy Fund Tammy served as a Democracy Project Fellow with the Bipartisan Policy center and was Commissioner on President Obama’s Presidential Commission on Election Administration. Additionally, she was a Federal Compliance Officer for the Maricopa County Elections Department for eleven years.)